Fundraising – Getting sponsorship

Sometimes training isn’t the hardest thing about running or hiking for a good cause.

You may have reached your fitness peak, but not your fundraising goal.

If you are struggling to get sponsors as you are fundraising for a charity at the Peak District Challenge and would like some helpful tips on how to get more donations then you are in luck.

Keep reading for some top fundraising tips!

Be brave and spread the word!

Supporting charities by actively choosing to fundraise to help someone else is a kind act. When we do something for charity we do it because we want to make a difference to a special cause. We fundraise to try and make the biggest impact we can, which is an amazing thing to do! But sometimes our own insecurities get the better of us and we may feel like others are not supportive of what we are doing.

When it comes to fundraising, we need to ignore negative feelings about whether or not we are bothering people or that someone doesn’t care as passionately for the cause you are supporting as you do. This doesn’t matter! You need to focus your energy on are training hard and sharing your story as to why the charity you have chosen is worth yours and others support. At the end of the day the more money you raise the more lives you will be helping to change with your challenge.

The first step is to be confident and positive! You already have the passion for the cause you are supporting (as you are doing a Peak District Challenge for them) now it’s time to share this passion with the rest of the world! Remember, most people want to support you and good causes – but they may not know that much about the challenge you are doing or the charity you are supporting.

One of the best ways to share and reach the biggest audience is through social media. Share your fundraising link on your profile to let your friends and family know you are looking for sponsors. If you are using facebook write a short post about why you are fundraising for the specific charity you have chosen and what exactly you will be doing to raise that money – i.e. running or hiking and the distance, date, location etc. You can tag the Peak District Challenge page so people can read more about the event for themselves!

Top tip: Ask your friends to share your social media post with your fundraising link on their profile too, so you reach more potential sponsors! Also be sure to thank them quickly for any support they give.

If you want to share your fundraising link on twitter it’s good to tweet the charity you are fundraising for so that other people who are also passionate about that charity can support you or may choose to be a sponsor (also tweet @PeakDChallenge too).

When using Instagram post stories of you training regularly using hashtags and tag the charity you are fundraising for as well as tagging @peakdistrictchallenge. Put your fundraising link in your bio so when anyone visits your profile they can visit your page!

Organisation is Key!

Asking people to sponsor you can be daunting even if you are confident and feeling positive.

Making a list of who you would like to ask can help you to stay organised, so you can recall who you’ve asked, and to help you categorise the groups ofspecial people in your life. The categories could include friends, family, work colleagues, members of a religious community you attend. It’s important to consider your relationships with each group when thinking about the best way to approach individuals who would like to sponsor you. For example, if you have close friends on the list you may feel comfortable to meet up for a coffee and ask in person. Whereas when asking work colleagues you may want to think about composing a concise informative email you can send around the office.

Top tip: It’s important to explain to your potential sponsors why you are asking them specifically to help with fundraising for this specific charity. It’s crucial to explain how fundraising will have a positive impact on the lives of others. Throw out some statistics, research some success stories that have come from the charity you are supporting and summarise them when telling your potential supporters. Always use your own words to make the email or chat personal. This bit should be easy because you are clearly passionate about the charity you are fundraising for, for good reasons. Now is a great time to share these reasons and make others in your life just as passionate as you!

Become the talk of the town!

The more people in a team the easier it is, you could ask local radio stations by tweeting hosts or write to local newspapers to make them aware that you are looking for sponsors to raise money for such a good cause with your amazing Peak District Challenge effort. Include photos of your team and your team name to build an identity!

Top tip: Ignore any ‘no’s’ focus on the yes’! Giving is contagious when people see others saying ‘yes’ to helping a cause they will want to get involved too!

Still looking for a great cause to do your Peak District Challenge for?